UK First service question

[randombloke]

In the US it seems they have a first service at 5k miles, but in the UK I've been told that it's just either the service indicated by the mileage which could be as long as 19k or else 12 months.

Seems a bit weird that a US car goes only 5k on the initial oil and a UK car could be going as long as 19k. Is this really right?

[Rob A]

My German dealer says the same - first service is when the indicator will say. 15,000 km or more depending on the type of driving you do.

It's mostly highway for me, so I am rather curious to see after how many kilometers that will be.

[Mainy]

The US has a lot more extreme weather conditions than the UK so I guess that may have something to do with it.

Also I'm pretty sure that the petrol over there is of a lesser RON rating than here in the UK.

Alternatively it could just be an Audi of America scam to get more money out of their customers

[swansailor]

"Alternatively it could just be an Audi of America scam to get more money out of their customers"


How could you possibly think such a thing?

[Rob A]

The US has a lot more extreme weather conditions than the UK so I guess that may have something to do with it.

I understand that the system works on the basis of some sort of a probe which measures the condition of the oil. Can anyone confirm that ?

Also I'm pretty sure that the petrol over there is of a lesser RON rating than here in the UK.

True, but I don't see how using RON95 instead of RON98 would make a difference.

Alternatively it could just be an Audi of America scam to get more money out of their customers

It would be the dealers making money, not Audi of America, and I suspect that the relationship between AoA and some of the dealers may be somewhat tense these days when it concerns the R8.

I know, all this isn't helpful. I just would like to understand.

[Mainy]

I understand that the system works on the basis of some sort of a probe which measures the condition of the oil. Can anyone confirm that ?

The AVS system uses engine RPM /no of stop starts / length of journey etc as variables for calculating the service intervals on an AVS car

[Mainy]

Just to clarify further the following is taken directly from the Audi UK website :-

"Imagine two company car drivers, each driving an Audi A4 2.0 FSI. Driver one is mainly based in and around the M25. His typical day involves lots of short urban journeys, stop-start driving and traffic jams. Driver two, on the other hand, has a much larger geographic area to cover in the North of England. The majority of his driving is on motorway, with the occasional cross-country trip on A-roads.

Is it likely that each A4 would show the same patterns of oil, filter and brake pad wear? Does it make sense to service both cars at the same mileage intervals, regardless of the kind of miles that each has been covering? Evidently not, which is why all Audi cars from Model Year 2000 (with the exception of the Audi Cabriolet, a small number of year 2000 A6s and A8s and 2001 model year diesel engines) have featured Audi’s innovative Audi Variable Servicing system.

Prior to the 2000 model year, almost all Audis followed a traditional service schedule, similar to that of other major motor manufacturers: a lubrication service every 10,000 miles and an inspection service every 12 months or 20,000 miles, whichever occurred sooner. Now with AVS there is no fixed schedule. In fact the interval can range from 9,000 miles to 30,000, offering fleet managers a considerable saving in time, administration and, most importantly, cost.

With AVS, on-board sensors continuously monitor the condition of the engine oil in terms of temperature, level & oil degradation.
The monitoring systems also check mileage covered, brake pad wear, battery condition and mileage covered. Using this information, the car’s on-board computer calculates its own maintenance interval, providing the driver with ample warning of a service due via the ‘distance to service’ display."

HTH